


A Crew For Two

by missingnolovefic



Series: Moniker [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fake AH Crew, Fake AH Crew origin, Gen, Getting The Crew Together, Misunderstandings, Origin Story, Pre-Fake AH Crew, Worried Geoff, resolved emotional tension, workaholic jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-13 00:12:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18021161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missingnolovefic/pseuds/missingnolovefic
Summary: Jack throws himself into conquering Los Santos for Geoff to make up for past mistakes.





	A Crew For Two

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MyOwnAnthem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyOwnAnthem/gifts).



> Sequel to Dead Man's Tale at Anthem's request! Getting the crew together fic (with slash if you want to put on your shipping goggles).

Geoff watched Jack with a frown. The other man was nodding off at his desk in the cramped office they were using as headquarters. Eventually they would have to expand (and Geoff was already eyeing certain properties), but for now… it was just them.

Just two guys with a whole city to conquer.

Geoff mustered his partner in crime. Jack was losing weight rapidly in a way that screamed unhealthy rather than exercise. Dark shadows ran deep under his eyes, the tired lines on his face not even relaxing in sleep. Geoff frowned. He’d been busy establishing and reaffirming contacts across the city, leaving the rest of operations to Jack. And Jack had proven reliable as always, procuring funds and apartments and warehouses for their use. Geoff didn’t know how he did it, assumed he was using the contacts he’d built as ‘Monki’...

Looking at him now, it was clear Jack worked himself to the bone to accomplish everything he did. Geoff winced, wavering in the doorway. He hated to wake Jack when the man so clearly needed sleep, but… Ultimately, this should lead to a solution for his current state.

Geoff cleared his throat and reached for Jack’s shoulder, shaking him gently.

“Wakey, wakey, sleeping beauty,” he chirped cheerfully, pushing empty mugs and the keyboard aside to hop onto the desk. “Birds are singing, sun is rising. You’re missing out on a beautiful afternoon!”

“Ugh.” Jack groaned, pushing his glasses up to rub over his eyes. After blinking rapidly and shaking himself awake, Jack peered out the small window slit. Then he glared blearily up at Geoff. “It’s grey and foggy.”

Geoff shrugged unrepentantly. “It could’ve been beautiful, for all you knew.”

Jack groaned, falling back into his chair. It rolled back for maybe half a foot before hitting the wall. “Why are you here, asshole? Didn’t you have a meeting?”

“Hmm. This morning, yes.” Geoff hummed noncommittally. “Which is what brings me here, actually. Here, have a look.”

Geoff flapped the manila folder in his hand in front of Jack’s face until the man finally snatched it away. He grinned, kicking his legs. Jack sent him an annoyed look when he hit the other’s shin purely by accident.

“The ‘Jersey Devil’? What is this, some new drug?” Jack muttered as he opened up the file.

“A moniker, though I hear he prefers to go by Mogar,” Geoff commented idly, watching Jack’s reaction closely. The man’s face remained impassive as his eyes flickered over the papers inside.

“This is…”

“Our first recruit, yes.” At Jack’s sharp look, Geoff held up his hands and spread them out. “We need more manpower. There’s only so many gas stations the two of us can rob before we run out of places to hit. With a third gun, our options multiply tenfold.”

Jack turned his head back to the file, a thoughtful frown on his face.

“He’s young,” he commented, flipping through the pages. Jack scratched at his cheek, pausing on the last part of the report. “Where does he get that many explosives from? At the rate he uses them, they have to be more expensive than convenient.”

Geoff’s grin widened, and he hooked his ankle over his knee.

“Unless he makes them himself.”

A rush of emotions flickered over Jack’s face, too fast for Geoff to decipher. Then he looked up at Geoff, taking in his smug look.

“That would be a useful talent to have,” he said neutrally. Geoff clapped his hands together, before rubbing his palms.

“Great! Glad you agree, buddy.”

He hopped off the desk and plucked the folder out of Jack’s loose grip, ignoring Jack’s dark look. Clearly he was grumpy because he was tired. No matter, that problem would be fixed soon. Geoff stopped in the door on his way out and looked back over his shoulder. Jack was stretching out his back, grimacing. He must be stiff after his nap in the chair. Geoff cleared his throat, and Jack looked up.

“Piece of advice, next time?” Geoff pointed the manila folder at Jack in warning. “Find a bed to sleep in, dickhead. You’re not as young as you used to be.”

“I’m barely twenty-five, asshole!” Jack sputtered, and Geoff cackled, waving casually as he turned and walked off.

Yeah, hiring Mogar was step one in the plan of Get Jack Some Rest. Now, to find the next candidate Jack might approve of…

 

* * *

 

There was a guy sitting on Geoff’s couch. Jack blinked, stopping in the door. He sat with his back to Jack, affording him time to look him over. Gelled back blond hair, golden sunglasses pushed up, ratty jeans and a threadbare shirt sent mixed messages. The guy gesticulated wildly at Mogar, who sat on the other end of the couch with crossed arms and a fierce scowl on his face.

Hiring Mogar had been a mistake.

The guy was too wild, too young, too unreasonable. Uncontrollable. He’d gotten into fights all around the city, making them more enemies than they could afford. His short temper nearly ruined several negotiations Jack had painfully set up and called in favours for. Mogar might intimidate some of their easier to impress rivals, but he was no help with what they really needed: connections.

The new guy’s voice was high-pitched and squeaky. Young, Jack guessed, frowning as he tried to place his accent. Foreign for sure. British?

As Jack watched, Mogar’s patience snapped and he shoved the other guy off the couch. The guy went down with a squawk, and Mogar followed quickly. They rolled across the floor, the British guy squawking in protest, while Mogar shouted back, loud and brash and angry. They hit the couch table with a _thump_ , rattling the contents on top.

For a split second, Jack considered breaking up the fight. But his head was pounding, and the skin around his eyes felt tight, and he really didn’t need this additional headache. So he left the two men to their brawling and left without a word.

 

* * *

 

“Gavin,” Jack repeated numbly, pushing his glasses up and rubbing the bridge of his nose. “And he’s the hacker who-”

“Who hacked into our secure servers last week, yes.” Geoff sounded way too excited. Jack squinted at him, before settling his glasses back on his nose. Yeah, Geoff looked smug.

“And you thought it was a good idea to hire him?”

“Burnie did,” Geoff said with a shrug, turning his attention away from his computer to grin at Jack. “And then I poached him!”

So that’s where the smugness was coming from. Jack sighed.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked plaintively, trying to appeal to Geoff’s good sense. For as much as he dug his heels in about really stupid stuff, the guy could plan masterful strategies. Clearly he could see Jack’s concern-

“Are you kidding? It’s the best idea!” Geoff exclaimed, throwing out his arms and grinning like a maniac. “I should know, it’s one of mine! And I _always_ have the best ideas, Jack!”

“Right.” Jack shook his head and pushed away from Geoff’s desk.

“Don’t be such a sourpuss, Jack. It’s gonna be great, you’ll see!” Geoff rubbed his hands together evilly. “I’m gonna let him lose on the Corpirate, test just how good he is. That asshole needs to be taken down a peg.”

“That’s…” such a terrible idea, but Jack swallowed down the protest. The Corpirate was one of their major hurdles in taking over Los Santos, and as good as untouchable since he actually ran a legit business. His cover was tight, and he bought off half the police force and even an FIB agent or two. There was no way they could get rid of him the usual way. With a hacker though…

“Genius, I know,” Geoff crowed, self-satisfied. Jack’s headache intensified.

“If you say so, Geoff,” he muttered, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Just don’t make me say _I told you so_.”

“Won’t be necessary,” Geoff waved him off blithely, grin still wide. Jack just stared at him, unimpressed. “Oh, while you’re here. I wanted your opinion on this sniper I found…”

 

* * *

 

Gavin turned out to be a disaster.

And he dragged Michael and Ray into his shenanigans.

Jack bit down the _I told you so_ and set about bailing the self-proclaimed ‘lads’ out of jail.

 

* * *

 

“Jack? Are you still working?”

Geoff pushed into the office, frowning down at him. Jack blinked, his eyelids heavy.

“I thought I could get a headstart on the meeting tomorrow-”

“Jesus, Jack.” Geoff shook his head, snapping his fingers at him. “You were supposed to go home hours ago. Up, up.”

Bemusedly, Jack let Geoff push him around, going so far as to offer him his jacket. It was sweet, in a way. He did draw the line at tying his own shoes, though.

“I’m fine, Geoff, stop worrying.”

“I’ll worry as much about you as I damn well please,” Geoff grumbled, crossing his arms. He was chewing on the end of his mustache, a habit he was trying to break. Jack smiled fondly, reaching out to tug on the free end.

“I was just looking into Roberts’ offer. It sounds too good to be true, there must be a catch.”

Geoff’s frown deepened.

“I’ll have Gavin look into it tomorrow. You, on the other hand, aren’t allowed back in here before noon.”

Startled, Jack dropped his hand. “What? But Geoff-”

“Not. Before. Noon,” Geoff repeated firmly, pushing him out the door. “I mean it, buddy. Go sleep.”

“But this is my case- I’ve been working on Roberts since-”

“Jack.” Geoff’s tone pulled him up short. “I’m making it an order.”

Jack stared at his friend and boss, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He swallowed. “Right. Okay.”

Geoff nodded firmly and shut the door in his face.

 

* * *

 

Maybe, Jack had to admit as he walked up the stairs, maybe having more members in their crew was starting to pay off. Geoff’s new apartment wasn’t the penthouse he had his eye on from day one, but it certainly was a step up from the cheap one downtown. More manpower meant more operations resulting in more revenue. It wasn’t like Jack expected it to just be the two of them forever! Still… he wouldn’t have minded to keep it like that just a little longer.

With a sigh, Jack went to push open the door, then paused. It wasn’t locked, leaning against the frame just before the lock would snap shut.

Something was wrong.

Cautiously, Jack pulled out his sidearm, then pushed the door open slowly. The hinges didn’t creak, his steps muffled by the lush carpet. It wasn’t any comfort to Jack because if he could move about silently, who else could? He carefully pushed the door to lean against the frame again, keeping a wary eye out. The hallway was empty, no furniture anywhere yet. Towards the end it extended into a open-plan living room. Jack checked the room from left to right, gun pointed at the floor, safety off-

To come face to face with a black mask and a gun pointed at his chest.

Jack’s breathing hitched, his heart thundering in his ears. He froze, his own gun only half-raised. He knew that skull mask, had heard of the man who wore it. A mercenary who seemed more phantom than real, a boogeyman who had all of Los Santos stirred up. A traveler who arrived in the dark of night and left no witnesses behind, leaving like a ghost once the job was done. If he was here, then Geoff-

“Vagabond.”

Geoff’s voice echoed through the empty hallway, a lazy drawl. The mask tilted, and then the gun dropped, the safety clicking back on. Heart pounding, Jack dared to look away from the creepy skull, over his shoulder- to Geoff, lounging in his new leather armchair, looking unbearably smug.

“That’s Jack, my second in command. Jack, I’m sure you’ve heard of the Vagabond.” Geoff waved casually at the mercenary, his grin widening. “Our newest member.”

“Right.” Jack glanced at the skull mask, met piercing blue eyes. They seemed to drill straight into his soul, taking his measure and finding him lacking. Jack shifted under the uncomfortably heavy gaze.

“Nice to meet you,” he added belatedly, half-heartedly. The Vagabond nodded, breaking their staring match as he looked to Geoff.

“Great!” Geoff clapped his hands. “Vagabond will be joining us on the heist tomorrow. I called the lads to go over the plans, they should be here any mo-” A squeak in the hallway, followed by loud cursing heralded the lads arrival. “Ah, there they are. Splendid.”

What followed was a round of harsh whispers and careful sizing up that made Jack feel better about his own hesitation. Gavin carefully kept Michael between himself and the Vagabond, acting skittish whenever he was mentioned. Michael in turn bristled, clearly seeing the new hire as a threat. Only Ray remained relaxed and disinterested, making Jack think he was high again.

Preoccupied as he was keeping an eye on the shifting crew dynamics, he nearly missed it.

“Vagabond takes the flank, and we’ll go in through the front, while Jack brings the car around-”

“What?” Jack asked, interrupting Geoff’s explanation. Geoff rolled his eyes, shooting him an impatient look.

“I said you bring the van around back. Keep up, asshole.”

Jack stared at him with dawning horror, listening with half an ear as Geoff explained the plan. Vagabond would take out the security through the employees’ entrance, Mogar would plant the charges while Gavin hacked the terminal. Jack knew the plan, remembered coming up with it one drunken night back when it was just them, just Geoff and Jack. Back when it was _him_ taking out security, _him_ taking out the cameras, _him_ planting the charges to get into the safe.

It had been a pipe dream, almost impossible to do with just the two of them, too risky-

And now Geoff had found a way to upgrade the plan. Had hired guns and hackers and explosive experts, leaving Jack obsolete. Worse, stuck in the getaway car, away from the action like an untrusted newbie...

“Geoff,” Jack bit out, throat tight. “A word?”

Geoff gave him a quizzical look, but shrugged, pushing away from the meeting table. Jack led him blindly to the next closed door, straight into a bedroom. Geoff’s eyebrows flew up and he wriggled them suggestively. Jack felt heat rush to his face and glared at him. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t know the layout of Geoff’s new apartment yet!

“Don’t empty out the fridge!” Geoff yelled at their crew over his shoulder. “And don’t fucking touch the bar, that alcohol was expensive! It’s coming out of your salaries, I swear to God-”

With a decisive pull, Jack closed the door, cutting Geoff off and brushing past him to pace the length of the room. It still had that unpacked, new furniture smell, and the decoration was sparse and none of that typical Geoff-mess cluttering the floor.

It drove home how strange everything had become. Everything had _changed_ while Jack wasn’t looking. While he was busy trying to cement their loose grasp on Los Santos’ criminal underground.

Only to be pushed out, replaced by new people with better skills.

He whirled around, coming face to face with Geoff who was mustering him quietly. But was it really Geoff, his friend who looked back? Or was it Geoff, leader of the Fake AH crew? Did he even know him anymore? Or had he lost that chance when he lost those drives and pretended to be dead?

He’d been trying so, so hard to make up for that mistake. Had thrown his all into building their base here in Los Santos. Couldn’t Geoff see how hard he was working to make up for it?

“Jack?”

“What do you want, Geoff?” Jack bit out, dragging his fingers through his hair. “What else do you want from me?”

Geoff blinked, looking taken aback. Then he frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“The Vagabond? The freaking Vagabond, really?”

As far as replacements went, Jack couldn’t decide whether to feel honoured or horrified by Geoff’s lack of sense.

“Yeah?” Geoff’s mouth drew into a thin line and he raised his jaw. “He’s a good fit for the crew. His reputation will boost-”

“I don’t care about his stupid reputation!” Jack pushed away, whirling around as his arms sailed through the air. “He’s dangerous, he-”

“So are we,” Geoff interrupted him, sounding annoyed now. “So what?”

“And then there’s Ray and fucking _Gavin_ -” Jack shouted, on a roll now. He ignored the way Geoff’s frown melted into a questioning look, barrelling on, “And Michael, fuck, how many fights is he going to pick-”

“You approved of Michael,” Geoff pointed out. “And Ray. Said we could use a sniper.”

“That’s great, that’s just great.” Jack grit his teeth and squared his shoulders, turning towards Geoff. Time to face reality. “When were you going to tell me I was choosing my own replacements?”

“Repla-” Geoff sputtered, his eyes widening. “The fuck, Jack?”

Jack crossed his arms, locking his jaw mulishly. “I’m not stupid.”

“Yeah, you kinda are! What the fuck?” Geoff threw his hands up. “Where is this coming from all of a sudden?”

“You’ve been shutting me out. Sent the lads to do my work.” Jack sighed and pushed his glasses up, rubbing at his eye. “Just, please. No more games, Geoff. I think you owe me at least that much.”

“Jack.” Geoff sounded… sad. Jack closed his eyes. He knew it. A hand landed on his shoulder, squeezing. “No games,” Geoff promised, and Jack opened his eyes.

“What was it? Where did I go wrong?” Jack grimaced. “Was it the drives? Is that what this is about?”

“Is that what you think?” Geoff asked in a murmur, pulling him into a hug. Jack resisted before giving in, letting the warmth of him fill the empty space in his heart. “Dickhead. That’s what I get for trying to be nice and make things easier for you. Don’t you think I noticed how much work you do? Fuck you, of course I noticed.”

“Geoff?” Jack hesitated, but Geoff didn’t let him pull away.

“You’ve been working too much. There was so much to do, and you tried to do it all on your own.” There was a helpless note to Geoff’s voice. “So yeah, I got us more members. People to take on the workload so you don’t have to, asshole.”

“I… what?” This time, Geoff let him pull back, but only far enough to grab Jack by his shoulders and shake him.

“I was fucking worried about you, asshole. Because I care, fuck knows why.”

“What about demoting me to driver on the heist?” Jack asked, all his insecurities bubbling forth.

“Really? That’s what set you off?” Geoff stared at him in disbelief, before punching his shoulder. “You’re the best fucking driver I know. Of course I’m going to rely on you to _get us out safely_. Fuck.”

“Oh.” Jack thought about that and… yeah, that kinda made sense. They had more than enough people with guns to split up like that. “Ah. That… yeah.”

“ _Idiot.”_

“Yeah, that was kinda stupid of me.” Jack offered him a self-deprecating smile. Geoff closed his eyes and huffed.

“A little. Dickhead.” Then he pulled him back into a hug, his arms wrapping around Jack tightly. “Next time you start feeling like this? You come talk to me, capiche?”

“Yeah,” Jack muttered into Geoff’s shoulder, voice muffled. He let Geoff cling to him for a good minute, but when he still didn’t let go… “Geoff?”

“Shut up.” Geoff croaked, voice sounding suspiciously hoarse. “Asshole.”

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, Anthem, for all your support <3 Without you, this story wouldn't exist.


End file.
